Atlantic Council blogs

Atlantic Council blogs provide short-form analyses from Council experts and a wider community of global voices on the world’s most important news stories.
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Pipeline construction

EnergySource

Oct 17, 2019

The ‘principle of solidarity’: OPAL, Nord Stream, and the shadow over Gazprom

By Alan Riley

The OPAL judgment in Case T-883/16 "Republic of Poland v. European Commission" from the EU General Court will undermine Gazprom’s market dominance in Central and Eastern Europe.

Energy Markets & Governance Europe & Eurasia
European Court of Justice building

EnergySource

Oct 17, 2019

Impact of the European Court of Justice’s Opal decision

By Daniel D. Stein

The recent decision by the European Court of Justice to limit Gazprom’s use of Opal, an onshore pipeline in Germany, has wide-reaching implications for Gazprom’s use of both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, as well as Gazprom’s reliance on Ukraine for gas transit to Europe.

Energy Markets & Governance Europe & Eurasia

MENASource

Oct 17, 2019

Protests in Iraq may unseat the government

By Rend al-Rahim

The sudden outbreak of protests in Iraq on October 1 was part of a pattern the country has witnessed in recent years. Understanding this context as well as the grievances driving the protestors helps explain the latest unrest. As it stands now, Iraq is in precarious moment in which bold, concrete action from the government […]

Civil Society Corruption

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2019

Boris’s Brexit: A done deal?

By John M. Roberts

The prime minister has less than forty-eight hours to forge a coalition that can secure the necessary initial approval of the deal—and Britain’s fractured politics means the outcome of the vote is far from certain.

European Union United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2019

Afghanistan’s election a “genuine victory,” Afghan ambassador says

By Jasper Gilardi

In Afghanistan's fourth election since the US invasion in 2001, and after eighteen years of war, nearly three million Afghan citizens took to the polls on election day despite continued attacks from the Taliban.

Afghanistan Elections

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2019

First female NATO number two hands over post amid Turkey crisis

By Teri Schultz

The highest-ranking woman in Alliance history talks about the crisis in Syria and the success in encouraging gender balance throughout NATO.

NATO Syria

IranSource

Oct 17, 2019

Forget Telegram: Iranians are using Instagram to shop

By Fariba Parsa

Maryam searched all over Neyshabur’s pharmacies, a town in northeastern Iran, for her mother’s diabetes medication. “I came back home, exhausted and didn’t know what to say to my mother,” the 30-year-old economist explained. “It was late in the night and I searched Instagram. Wow! I found a place where I could buy my mother’s medicine.” […]

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Iran

MENASource

Oct 16, 2019

Winning the humanitarian war in Yemen

By Hadi Fathallah

While Saudi Arabia came into Yemen very sensitive of the regional Iranian challenge and Houthi threat, its war strategy and foreign policy lacks any awareness of the looming and ongoing environmental and humanitarian war that will affect the overall outcome of the peace in Yemen.

Conflict Middle East

UkraineAlert

Oct 16, 2019

Servant of the people or servant of the oligarchs?

By Diane Francis

The president’s response is appropriate in a country with an operating rule of law. But in Ukraine, with an unreformed judiciary, this is a complete cop out.

Financial Regulation Fiscal and Structural Reform

SyriaSource

Oct 15, 2019

Syria: Is anything salvageable?

By Frederic C. Hof

The importance of Syria to the West generally and to the United States specifically dictates that something of value be salvaged from the wreckage. Facilitating the resurrection of ISIS and the restoration of a terrorism-abetting Assad regime to all of Syria should be unthinkable.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy